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Transcending Sport: Athletes Turned Sports Speakers

When looking for a sports speaker for your upcoming event what do you look for? A charismatic entrepreneur? A witty comedian? Maybe an insightful political speaker? While all good choices, one of the most trending sectors of the speaking circuit right now is sports. Athletes have such a talent when it comes to wowing a crowd. Their motivational message derived from the challenges they’ve overcome both on and off the field, make for an outstanding event. Due to their unique appeal, athletes have turned to speaking, as their main business venture after sports.

More than athletes

With so many athletes transcending sport and business, both during and after their playing careers, countless events have featured top former athletes. Whether it is Abby Wambach, Billie Jean King or Laila Ali, all these speakers have a similar backstory that people love to hear; winning and conquering adversity. Due to the massive demand to hear these stories, athletes have focused on speaking as the next chapter in their career.

One example of a world class athlete and sports speaker is Abby Wambach. After being a U.S. soccer icon for decades, Wambach has gone all in on speaking. After piling up accolades as a player, Wambach has enjoyed retirement as an entrepreneur, author and sports speaker. In the midst of the U.S. Women’s National Team’s road to the World Cup, Wambach was busy speaking to executives at PayPal. In their New York headquarters. Sports speaker Abby Wambach gave a fireside chat with PayPal CEO, Dan Schulman. The message was broadcasted to global offices in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Brazil. Her speech recounted her memories after retirement in 2016, and how she reinvented herself after soccer. Her speech captured her rollercoaster of a journey. From leaving soccer with a divorce and a DUI, to becoming one of the most sought after corporate speakers in sports.

A speech inspiring a movement

Her path to speaking all started after delivering the Barnard commencement speech one year ago. Her speech spurred the creation of her latest book Wolfpack: How to come together, Unleash our power, and Change the Game. Wambach’s book and message is all about changing the narrative. She encourages entrepreneurs, athletes and women to change the game. Her Wolfpack community has inspired countless individuals to not only head her advice, but learn from her mistakes and accomplishments, towards living fulfilled, empowered lives.

After taking the sports and speaking world by storm with this concept, Wolfpack Endeavor was also created. Taking her book and speech a step further, sports speaker Wambach created Wolfpack Endeavor. Her business helps mentor women and change the culture of companies. This venture has led her to become a top speaker for hire among America’s corporate brands. Wambach brings a personalized enthusiastic approach to consulting and speaking, helping brands envision a new perspective in business and leadership. PayPal is just one of many that have both utilized Abby’s cachet as a top athlete and her empowering advice to change how their brands approach life and business.

Icons of sport and inspiration

Abby isn’t the only athlete who has capitalized on their star power to create a widespread positive change. Another athlete who has made a career out of speaking is Olympic icon Dara Torres. After winning a Gold Medal in swimming at age 41, Torres set a precedent for athletes and women everywhere; Age is just a number. Her mantra led to an acclaimed book and viral message. With this idea in mind, Torres embarked on a new mission. She sought to spread her influence and experience to anyone who needed it. From the Swimming Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony to the owner of Oreos, Mondelez International’s event, Torres is one of the top choices when it comes to inspirational speakers.

Many athletes from all courts and fields have migrated to speaking after sport to share their experience and wisdom. Women’s rights icon and sports speaker for hire Billie Jean King has become an active celebrity on the speaking circuit. She has delivered multiple commencement speeches and corporate keynotes, inspiring an empowering change that she has helped be a part of for decades.

When it comes to speaking, athletes are able to inspire a whole new generation and audience through a different lens. Taking their sport experience paired with all the lessons they’ve learned outside of their career, they can create a new purpose for themselves and their fans. It’s not surprise that companies are drawn to these multidimensional speakers.

If your audience needs to be inspired, or motivated, look for a speaker who has turned their past athletic career into a new venture, on the speaking circuit. Contact the team at Celebrity Speakers Bureau via email at booking@celebrityspeakersbureau.com to hire game-changing sports speakers for your next event.